Method of lasting shoes



'0. F. PYM. METHOD OF LASTING SHOES! APFLICATION FILED MAY l9, 19H. I 1,368,969 Patented Feb. 15, 1921 2 SHEETSSHEET I.

C. F. PYM.

METHOD OF LASTING SHOES.

Mme/mow FILED MAY 19, 1917.

1,368,969. Patented Feb. 15,1921.

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ronarron or new JERSEY;

rarest orrics.

MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, NEW JERSEY, A COR- Mnrrronor .LASTING SHOES.

eas es.

' Specification of Letterslatent Patent d F b 15 192i.

Driginal application filed December 1 3, 1915, Serial No. 66,488. Divided and this application filed May 7 19,1917. Serial No.'169,749.

T 0 aZZw/wm it may concern,

Be it known that I, Crmnnns. BRPYM, a

subject of the Kinglof Great Britain, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex'and State of lilassachusetts,"have invented cer.-

tain Improvements in Methods of Lasting Shoes, or which the follow ng descript on, in connection with the accompanylng drawherein exemplified in its applicability to the shaping or forming of an upper assembled with an insole on a lash-and while the 1nvention has importantadvantages as applied to the lasting of shoe materials thus assembled, it will be recognized that in many or" i s novel and important aspects the 1nventi-on is not limited to the particular use illustrated. K

In accordance with a w ll-known practice in the manufacture of boots and shoes, after the upper materials have been assembled on the last and pulled over and havebeen secured upon the last. in proper position through assembling tacks at the heel and pulling over tacks at-the iorepart of the shoe, the margin of tlieiupper is wiped in: wardly at the bottom edge ofthe shoe and hard down over the margin of thesole or insole, hereinafter generically termed for convenience the sole, andis secured to the sole to hold the upper in lasted position.

At the heeland toe ends of the shoe,,the wiping in and laying down of theupper to conform it to the contour ofthe last and to the edge of the sole is particularly difficult, since there is a fullness in the upper materials at these points which causes the formation of plaits in thematerialsas they are gathered in over the edge of the. sole. These plaits increase the thickness of the upper materials inwardly from the edge of the over of the wiping means along the plane of the sole with very substantial pressure on thp upper materials at the" outer edge of the so e. I

In order successfullyand properly to last the shoe, not only must the marginal portion of the upper materials be tightly gathered in and firmly pressed down over the margin of the sole to form a substantially flat seat upon which to lay the outsole or welt, but in accomplishing this result the upper materials must also be closely and tightly formed to the last and sole at the extreme outer edge ofthe shoe bottom to present a sharply defined edge line forming onewall of a clear straight crease between the upper and the outsole or welt, usually crease or rand crease.

In the practice of the lasting operation prior to myinvention, owing to this increased thickness of the upper materialgthe upper has been wiped over the outer edge of the shoe bottom with relatively light and ineffective compacting pressure. This practice not only fails adequately to press the marginal portion of the upper down flat over the sole but fails to provide sufiiciently hard indrawing frictional pressure against "the upper at the edge of the sole closely and upper materials by an improved method.

In the attainment of this object, it is proposed by this invention, in one of its aspects, to cause suitable wiping means such as end lasting wipers to embrace the end of a shoe between the exposed face of the sole and the top face of the last and by pressure of the wiper edges against theshoe around its end portion to effect a relative displacement of the shoe and the wipers in a direction transverse to the plane of the shoe bottom to cause the wipers to wipe the upper over the edge of the shoe bottom with effective pressure. The relative displacement effected by wedging action between the wipers and the shoe may take place, against relatively heavy yielding resistance eflectiveto cause strong frictional indrawing pressure by the wipers against the upper materials. This heavy J frictional-pressure willstretch and" tightly draw the upper over the edge of the'sole,

j ironing it down on the edge, and will iron down and crease flat the gatheredupper-materials inwardly of said edge.

In carrying out the method of thisinvent1.on,as herein exempllfied, the last and shoe are supported with relation to suitable" wip mg means, such. as wiper plates, and the wiperplates are caused to advance and engage the upperbelow the planeof the shoe bottom-'andby' continued advancing and closingmovements are caused to 'cllmb or ride up over the edge of the shoebottom against relatively heavy yielding resistance producing hard frictional indrawing pressure of thewipers againstthe engaged up- )er, this resistance and approximately the same pressure against the upperbeing continuedas the wiper plates continue to ad'- vance and close inwardly from the edge of the sole.

' pressure, and at the too or heel flattensdown and sharply creases the plaits formed by. the fullness in the'upper'material inwardly of said edge-as it is gathered in by'the wiper plates so that'a substantially flat seat is provided.

The resistance producing the hard frictional indrawing and compacting pressure of the wipers against the upper as they are advanced and closed may be provided in any known or suitable manner effective togive the desired result, and the lasting 01' wiping operation may likewise beeffected through any suitable wiping means. V

The new method will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description which sets forth how it may be I practised with the aid of an apparatus which is illustrated in'the accompanying drawings, and the invention will be definitely pointed out in the'cl'aims' In the accompanying drawings, to illustrate the practice of the method of this invention, I have shown the lasting of the heel end of a'shoe by lasting instrumentalities of the type shown in said prior application... r Figural of these drawings shows in vertical section" the rear part of a last with its shoe upper and sole supported toreceive the action'of an illustrated wiper lasting'mechanism for wipingthe upper materials up and l inwardly over the "edge of the sole from a point below the plane of the shoefbottom;

Fig. 2 is'a similar. view showing the shoe forcibly engaged below the plane of the shoe :bottom by the advancing and closingof the wipermechanismin the act of wiping the upper upwardly; i

Fig. 3 illustrates the climbing effect as thewipers are moved upwardly against heavy resistance coincidently with continued advancing and closing movements to; cause strong frictional indrawing pressure during. the advance of the wipers over the edge of fthe shoe bottom; r

Fig.4 1s a' view. illustrating the further advanceof the wipers over the heel seat with continuing and uninterrupted downward C pressure upon the upper.

In practising this invention with the aid of the described apparatus, alast at with its shoeupper and sole is mounted on the spindle 2 and clamped thereon by theholddown 6 with the plane of the shoe bottom determinately above the plane of the retracted wiper. plates as suggested inFig. 1' of the drawings. The wiper head 8 and pivotally connected. wiper plates 10 are now proj ected forwardly and closed inwardly through the action of mechanismincluding cam 18 and lever 14, 16, as more fully described in 1 said co-pending application, to bring the wipers into heel embracing contact with the upper. below the plane of the shoe'bottom and it-may well be below the plane of the sole on the bottom of the last, the wipers being .further supported by links 12. which are substantially parallel to the lever 14.

This position ofthe parts is suggested by the showing in Fig; 2 ofthe drawings. Contact of the wiper plates with the shoe will occur 'at about the time that the members l2, l4: reach theposition where their'pivot points are in vertical alinement, or slightly before the members reach such position, as illustrated in Fig-:2. The wipers are next compelled by further advance of the wiper head, through. wedging action caused by the slight incline of'the last fac'e at the bottom edge of the shoe and it may be also by the rounded edge formationofthe wiping edges,

to climb and ride up over thebottomfof the shoe. Upward movement of the wipers necessary to enable them to pass over the edge of theshoe bottom is opposed bythe coiled spring26 which encircles the stem 22 of the pivot block 20 for link 12 and is adjustably compressed by nut 24 to. act downwardly upon the wiper head with a force causing a strong frictional indrawing pressure of the wipers onthe upper, but which permits the wipers to climb up without damaging the shoe stock. Th s heavyindrawingfrictional pressure against the engaged face of the upper as the wiper climbs up over the edge'of the shoe bottom tightly indraws the upper and irons it down hard at the extreme edge of the shoe bottom. This action is suggested by Fig. 3 of the drawings in which the wiper plates are seen advancing over theedge of the sole with the crimped or plaited edges of the materials forming ahead of them.

Heavy downward and frictional closing pressure of the wipers against the thicker upper materials encountered accompanies the further advancing and closing of the wiper plates over the heel seat because of the tension of the colled spring 26. This downward pressure of the wipers against the plaited edges of the upper is sufliciently powerful to i crease and iron these plaits down flat as the wipers close over to the limit of their movement, this pressure being approximately the same-as that exerted against the upper in climbing'over theedge of the sole.

The described apparatus illustrates the manner in which the invention may be practised, but it will be understood that the practice of the invention is not dependent upon the use of the specific apparatus shown. As I am advised, I am the first to form or wipe the upper materials over the edge of the shoe bottom around the end of the shoe by relative movement of the wipers andthe shoe effected by wedging action of the lateral periphery of the shoe against the edges of the wipers. A

The advantages of this invention are particularly noticeable in lasting the heel and toe ends of welt'and McKay shoes and the heel ends of turn shoes. In lasting the heel end ofa welt of a McKay shoe, orthe heel seat as it is commonly termed, and the toe end of a McKay shoe, extremely heavy compacting pressure is necessary in order to flatten out the wiped-over edge of the upper material. This edge of the upper material must be laid down flat in order to form a fiat seat for the end of the sole which is laid directly thereon. The edge of the upper, in order to form a flat, firm seat for the sole, must of necessity be stretched and tightly wiped over the bottom edge of the shoein order to prevent slack. It will be seen,therefore, that the method of the present invention may be practised with particular benefit in connection with end lasting. 7

The location of the line of initial engagement with the upper relatively to the plane of the bottom face of the last or form may, of course, be varied in accordance with different conditions encountered in operating on different kinds of work. It willals'o be leather, the lining and the end stiffener, or

to the forming of one or more of such materials, and the term upper is accordingly used herein generally as referring to one or more of such materials- Having thus described my invention what I claim as. new and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States is -1. That improvement in methods of last ing shoes which consists in engaging the lateral periphery of a shoe continuously around the end of the. shoe with the edges of end embracing wipers between the plane of the exposed face of the sole and the top face of the last, and by pressure of the wiper edges against the lateral periphery of the shoe around the end of the shoe effecting a relative'displacement of the shoe and the wipers in a direction transverse to the plane of the shoe bottom to cause the wipers to wipe the .upper under pressure across the edgeface of the sole while maintaining a close conforming relation to the upper around the end of'the shoe.

'' '2. That improvement in methods of lasting shoes which consists in relatively and bodily moving and embracing wipers and a last and its shoe in a direction lengthwise of the shoe and in such relation as to cause the wipers to engage the upper around the end of the shoe between the plane of the exposed face of the shoe sole on the lastbottom and the top faceof the last, and in continuing said rela tive lengthwise movement with coincident closing movement of the wipers to cause thewipers to be forced to the plane of the exposed face of the shoe sole by wedging action of the shoe and with strong frictional indrawing pressure against the upper.

3. That improvement in methods of lasting shoes which consists in engaging the lateral periphery of a shoe continuously around the end of the shoe with the edges of end embracing wipers between the plane of the exposed face of the sole and the top face of the last, effecting a relative displacement of the shoe and the wipers in a direction transverse to the plane of the shoe bottom by wedging action of the shoe against the edges of the lateral periphery of the wipers around the end of the shoe to cause the wipers to wipe the upper across the edge face of the sole while maintaining a close conforming relation to the upper around the end of the shoe, and opposing yielding resistance to such relative displacement ofthe shoe and the wipers to cause the wipers to press firmly inward against the upper during the wiping operation.

4. That improvement in methods of lasting shoes which consists in effecting relative movement of a last and shoe and end embracing wipers in a direction lengthwise of the shoe and in such relation as to cause the wipers to engage and embrace the shoe end between the plane of the exposed face of the 7 shoe sole on the last bottom and'the top face of the last, continuing said relative lengthwise movement and causing said wiperscoincidently to move to-the plane-of the tread face of thesole through wedging action of theishoe against them and then to wipe inwardly over the margin of said sole, and

' a sole on the last bottom and the top face of the last, continuing said relative lengthwise movement with a component of relative movement transverse to the plane of the sole effected by wedging actionbetween the shoe and the wipers, and opposing yielding resistance to such relative transverse movement to cause the wipers to operate with strong frictional indrawing pressure against the engaged upper materials,

6. That improvement 1n methodsof lasting the heel seats of shoes which consists in bodily 'moving' heel" seat lasting wipers lengthwise of a shoe and its last to engage the edge of the wipers with the heel end of the shoe upper between .the plane of the an posed face of the sole on the last bottom and the top faceof the last, continuing said bodily lengthwise movement and causing the wipers to move to the plane of the sole by wedging action of the shoe and to advance inwardly over the margin of-the exposed face of the sole incontinued lengthwise movement, and offering relatively heavy yielding resistance to movement} of the wipers toward the plane of thesole and continuing said resistance after the. wipers reach the plane of the sole and advance inwardly over the margin of saidexposed face of the sole. a

7,.-Thatimprovement in methods of forming or shaping uppers in the manufacture of boots and shoes which consists in engaging an upper on a substantially continuous linearound aniend and along the sides of the end portion of ashoe outside of the plane. of the, shoe bottom,-pressing inwardly against the upper alongsaid linewith sufit cient force to efi'ect a relative displacement of the shoe and said line of pressure 'in'a directiontransverse totheplane of the shoe bottomfor wipingthe upper to the edge of the shoe bottom, and continuing sai-d in wardly directed pressureto gather and wipe the margin of the upper inwardly fromisaid edge and along said plane; l r 8. That improvement in methods offorming or shaping uppers in the manufacture of boots and shoes which consists in engaging an upper on a shoe form'with the edges of end embracing wipers on a substantially continuous line around theperiphery ofan end of; the form pressing the edges ofsaid wipers inwardly against the upper with sufficient force to effect a relative displace;- ment of the-form and the wipersin a direction transverse to the plane of the wipers for wiping the upper to the line where its margin is to be bent inwardly over the bottom face of the fOI'1I13'2111d continuing said inwardly directed pressure around the end of the form to gather and wipe the margin of the upper inwardly over said face.

In testimony whereof ,I have signed my name to this specification. a

' a 7 CHARLES VF. PYM.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,368,969, granted February 15,

1921, upon the application of Charles F. Pym, of Lynn, Massachusetts, for an improvement in Methods of Lasting Shoes, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 3, line 40, for the Word of read or, same page, line 113, claim 3, after the Word of, first occurrence, insert the Words the lateral periphery of, same page and claim, lines 113114, strike out the Words the lateral periphery of; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 26th day of April, A. D., 1921.

[SEAL] T. E. ROBERTSON,

Gomrrtz'ssz'omr of Patents. Cl. 12-145. 

